BLUFF OF SEEING SMALL, HIDDEN AND DISTANT OBJECTS

SUTRA (III-25) – MIRACLES OF YOG
VERSUS THE BLUFFS OF YOGA
ALL THE BLUFF – CALL THE BLUFF

BLUFF OF SEEING SMALL, HIDDEN AND DISTANT OBJECTS

The Patanjali sutra quoted as authority for spreading this bluff is:

(III-25) - PRAVRATYALOK NYASAT (first part indicating area of experimentation) SUKSHM VYAVHIT VIPRAKRISHTH GYANAM (third part)
(III-25) - प्रवृत्यालोक न्यासत्सूक्षम व्यवहित विप्रकृष्ट ज्ञानम्
In this sutra also the word SANYAM संयम of second part has not been used. It should be presumed to be present.

STANDARD SPIRITUALISTIC TRANSLATION

By MEDITATING / CONCENTRATING on throwing light (ALOK आलोक) of tendency (PRAVRITTI प्रवृत्ति) a yogi is blessed with the specific powers of inner enlightenment enabling him to see even those things that are atomic in size (सूक्ष्म), hidden behind a screen (व्यवहित) or are too distant (विप्रकृष्ट) to be seen by ordinary senses.

BLUFF PROPAGATED – Immense powers of vision possessed by a yogi.

BLUFF OF KNOWLEDGE OF ENTIRE UNIVERSE

The Patanjali sutras quoted as authority for spreading this bluff are:

(III-26) BHUVAN GYANAM (third part) SURYE (first part) SANYAMAT (second part)
(III-26) भुवनज्ञानम् सूर्ये संयमात्
(III-27) CHANDRE (first part) TARAVYUH GYANAM (third part)
(III-27) चन्द्रे ताराव्यूहज्ञानम्
(III-28) DHRUVE (first part) TAD GATIGYANAM (third part)
(III-28) ध्रुवे तद् गतिज्ञानम्

In sutra III-27 and III-28 the word SANYAM संयम of second part has not been used. It should be presumed to be present. Since the first part in the above sutras is related to a common subject Astronomy the translations given by a spiritualist point of view and as Patanjali expected are arrived at by filling in the blanks of the standard patterns given earlier and are grouped together as under:

STANDARD SPIRITUALISTIC TRANSLATION

“By MEDITATING / CONCENTRATING (second part) on the sun (सूर्ये), the moon (चन्द्रे) and the pole star ध्रुवे (first part of the sutras III-26, III-27 and III-28 respectively) a yogi is blessed with the knowledge of physical universe (भुवन), stellar system (ताराव्यूह) and the movement patterns (गति) of the stars (third part of the sutras respectively)”.

BLUFF PROPAGATED – A yogi is blessed with the knowledge of entire universe.

GLARING INFIRMITIES

The spiritualistic translations suffer from the following infirmities:

• The spiritualistic translations being word to word and only made grammatically complete sentence, give the impression of boons alright that are never realizable being impractical and illogical.
• A routine compound word PRAVRATYALOK (प्रवृत्यालोक) meaning “properties of light” in sutra III-25 has been stretched to denote a spiritual coloring of some inner enlightenment.
• A routine word NYASAT (न्यासात) meaning “by studying” has been stretched to mean “by throwing” light (ALOK आलोक) of tendency (PRAVRATI प्रवृत्ति) to serve the spiritualistic purpose.
• The spiritualists are divided and confused on the interpretation of the words the sun, the moon and the pole star. The words are also interpreted as a nerve called SUSHUMNA (सुषुम्ना) in Ayurved. The interpretation of these words of astronomy as words of physiology needs analysis. As both the subjects fall within the domain of physical sciences only, the reason for such a preference deserves attention. Astronomy (JYOTIRVIGYAN ज्योतिर्विज्ञान) as one of the essential requisites introduced as VEDANG (वेदांग) to understand Vedas and as science had long been discarded by the spiritualist thought and substituted by the mumble jumble of a pseudo science invented as astrology (JYOTISH ज्योतिष) – most likely a twisted version of the word JYOTIRVIGYAN (ज्योतिर्विज्ञान). Refer THIRD BLUFF-YOGA - (continued-2) and discussion under MIXING OF PARALLEL TREATISES ON YOG - HISTORICAL BACKGROUND. Therefore it appears to be more a lame effort of some distant past in history that has come to stay alongside obvious meanings being more pertinent in modern context. This explains the confusion among the spiritualists about the meanings of these words. It was to refer to scientific facts in spiritualist YOGA and still decry science as inferior knowledge not worth aspiring for. It could have been to ward off the appeal and satisfaction generated by Ayurved in that age and to satisfy the queries of an enquiring mind. Such explanations by picking up some Vedic word or a word from Patanjali Yog and comparing / quoting it with contemporary scientific concepts or inventions as a proof of such knowledge already existing in spiritualistic domain are so common in the history of past hundred odd years of spiritualistic literature that it can also be a safe conclusion to draw that such translations are more to impress the gullible to maintain the hold and to deride the scientific knowledge than to actually subscribe to the explanation. It is pertinent to note here that no spiritualist thought has ever been responsible for any scientific exposition of any phenomenon, principle, law or invention. .
• The word SANYAM संयम has three contexts. All three contexts of SANYAM संयम have been ignored
• The first context TRAYAMEKTRA त्रयमेकत्र of the word SANYAM संयम as given by Patanjali in sutra III-4 is completely ignored and it has been substituted by a spurious translation MEDITATION / CONCENTRATION
• MEDITATION / CONCENTRATION remains an idle, effortless technique as advised by the system of YOGA योगा one believes in as discussed earlier in THIRD BLUFF YOGA (continued -2) and nowhere recommended by Patanjali.
• The second context as given in Sutra III-5 that SANYAM संयम leads to that INSIGHT (PRAGYA प्रज्ञा) of getting aware of some sequence (KRAM क्रम); is completely skipped.
• It jumps straight from some imaginary, effortless MEDITATION / CONCENTRATION on first part of the sutra to the achievements mentioned in third part of the sutra. It is conveniently forgotten that it is the INSIGHT (PRAGYA प्रज्ञा) of sequence (KRAM क्रम) only that may further lead to the understanding of the third part of any sutra.
• No effort has been made in any translation to take into consideration the third context as given by Patanjali in sutra III-6 as the spiritualists are allergic to any other knowledge. The third context mentions that this understanding of the third part of any sutra can now be applied for further achievements and results to be discovered and invented in any field of either SABIJ (सबीज) or NIRBIJ (निर्बीज) knowledge respectively (sutra III-7 and sutra III-8).

MIRACLES AS MEANT BY PATANJALI

The same sutras give the entirely logical and practical approach to the subject if the contexts of SANYAM संयम and PARINAM परिणाम as explained by Patanjali are duly kept in mind and the infirmities mentioned above are not permitted to creep in. The explanations will read as under:

STANDARD EXPLANATION OF SUTRA III-25 AS PATANJALI MEANT

“If you have made up your mind (DHARNA धारणा) to choose your subject of study as finding out the properties (DHARM धर्म), the symptoms (LAKSHAN लक्षण) and the states of existence (AWASTHA अवस्था), the three dimensions of PARINAM परिणाम, about the properties (PRAVRATYA प्रवृत्त्य) of light (ALOK आलोक), a subject of natural elements (BHOOT भूत covered under BRAHM GYAN ब्रह्मज्ञान)

And you are determined to pay never distractible attention (DHYAN ध्यान) in order to stick to this decision under any circumstances and you are confident of working wholeheartedly (SAMADHI समाधि) come what may for execution of this decision; you are likely to get that insight (PRAGYA प्रज्ञा) into the underlying principles of sequence (KRAM क्रम) about that property of your subject of study which will be of help to you

In understanding and analyzing the reasons of making even those things visible that are small, hidden and distant and you should be able to make use or implement (VINIYOG विनियोग) it in any field of further exploration like inventions of microscope, periscope , telescope , radar, night seeing devices, high resolution techniques, remote sensing, communication of images, television etc. ”.

BRANCH OF KNOWLEDGE INDICATED – USE OF OPTICS IN COMMUNICATION

RECIPROCAL STATEMENT OF THIS SUTRA–If seeing small, hidden or distant objects becomes the SUBJECT of study then properties of LIGHT become the OBJECTIVE.

STANDARD EXPLANATION OF SUTRAS III-26, III-27 AND III-28 AS PATANJALI MEANT

“If you have made up your mind (DHARNA धारणा) to choose your subject of study as finding out the properties (DHARM धर्म), the symptoms (LAKSHAN लक्षण) and the states of existence (AWASTHA अवस्था), the three dimensions of PARINAM परिणाम about the sun, the moon and the polar star, the subjects covered under BRAHM GYAN ब्रह्मज्ञान)
And you are determined to pay never distractible attention (DHYAN ध्यान) in order to stick to this decision under any circumstances and you are confident of working wholeheartedly (SAMADHI समाधि) come what may for execution of this decision;

You are likely to get that insight (PRAGYA प्रज्ञा) into the underlying principle of sequence (KRAM क्रम) of the various states of the sun, the moon and the polar star which will be of help to you in understanding the physical universe, stellar system and the movement of stars and you should be able to make use or implement (VINIYOG विनियोग) this understanding in any field of further exploration like space research, discovery of new stars and planets, effects and measurement of gravitational pulls, life of stars, habitability, unknown elements with strange properties, rocket technology etc and all mind boggling inventions of space technology, surviving techniques, communication infrastructure etc. ”.

BRANCH OF KNOWLEDGE INDICATED – ASTRONOMY, SPACE TECHNOLOGY

RECIPROCAL STATEMENT OF THIS SUTRA – If physical universe, stellar system and the movement of stars become the SUBJECTS of study then the sun, the moon and the pole star are the OBJECTIVES respectively.”

ANALYSIS OF THE COMPARISON AND CONCLUSIONS

After going through these sutras the most likely questions that should agitate the mind of any seeker of knowledge are as follows:

a) Is there really any correlation between the properties of light (PRAVRATYALOK प्रवृत्यालोक) and the visibility of even those things that are atomic in size (सूक्ष्म), hidden (व्यवहित) and distant (विप्रकृष्ट)?
b) Is there really any correlation between the sun (सूर्ये), and the physical universe (भुवन)?
c) Is there really any correlation between the moon (चन्द्रे) and the stellar system (ताराव्यूह)?
d) Is there really any correlation between the pole star (ध्रुवे) and the movement pattern (गति) of the stars and the planets?
e) Is there any commonality among these correlations?
f) Is there any method of finding out these correlations?
g) Can these findings be put to some use?
h) Are there some laws leading to such correlations?
Answers to such questions are not provided by spiritualistic translations. Rather these are blocked as. the literal (शब्दार्थ), contextual (संदर्भार्थ), abstract (भावार्थ) and even etymological (अन्वयार्थ) meanings of the words are twisted to serve the ends of some spiritualistic coinage only but never anything near to scientific either in modern sense being incomplete or Vedic sense being not given even a chance to be explored. On the other hand, in explanations as Patanjali meant the answers to all these questions are definitely positive and a specific exhortation to find out these is recommended. Herein is the pointer to the vastness of knowledge that has been addressed as BRAHM (ब्रह्म) in Vedas and converted or understood as innumerable awful gods and goddesses by various versions of spiritualism all over the world and the sense of enquiry of a common man was thus blunted permanently. It does not mean that all those who contribute towards the progress of civilization have to be atheists. They can be either theists or atheists as per the concocted and pliable definitions of these imaginary spiritual terms but they all have to be firm believers and totally convinced about the presence of innumerable unknowns around and their potential to discover them.

ONLY REASON OF BACKWARDNESS

The examples of inventions and discoveries given above from the modern awareness, therefore, are not to substantiate the arrogant claims of a spiritualist of either already possessing the knowledge or not pursuing it being inferior knowledge; but to emphasize the fact that the only reason of backwardness anywhere in any society is resistance and refusal to any awareness due to any reason and in Indian context the already discovered path to awareness in Vedas and specifically elucidated by Patanjali in his YOGSUTRAS has been intentionally blocked by advancing spurious translations in the name of so circulated advanced knowledge of spiritualism but in reality a fake par excellence. In fact no spiritualistic dogma has ever, anywhere contributed in any civilization towards any discovery or invention. Rather the history is replete with the incidents where spiritualism has put spokes deliberately in the wheels of science and progress. To propagate now or ever by any spiritualist that there is something like scientific spiritualism, amounts to throwing dust in the eyes to blur the vision. Let me clarify it further. The modern scientific terminology could have been Vedic also, had there been an effort to interpret Vedic knowledge scientifically and not spiritually. Vedas are replete with innumerable technical terms and no effort has ever been made to find out their exact scientific purport. Even if the job is started in right earnestness now only and the meanings of the Vedic terms are standardized, it will not only save the spiritualist of resorting to the mockery of trying to prove a Vedic concept scientific in view of advancing scientific developments; but also help overcoming the helplessness of quoting a modern technical term which is inadequate to explain a Vedic concept. It will further add to the human pool of knowledge that vital information which aims at prosperity and benefit for all. I am of the firm opinion that no spiritualist can ever even dare think on these lines because spiritualism is the only reason of our backwardness and pitiable state in many fields.